I owe it all to my sister
by TropicCitrus
Summary: WHY DID I WRITE THIS I GUESS IT WAS EIGHTH GRADE BUT STILL WHY DID IT HAVE 4 FOLLOWERS IT SUCKS
1. Wishing upon a star

**Author's notes: This story contains a few OCs… If you need short bio of each, here they are:**

**Connecticut/Julienne Paris****: A self-place character ^_^_^' She's 14 years old, has long, curly, brown hair that's often left not brushed; blue eyes, and somewhat pale skin. She is 5'4". Personality is explained a bit at the beginning of the story  
><strong>**New Hampshire/Lilah****: Modeled after my BFF, Lilah. (FlyingSolo365) She has long, straight "light brown" hair, green eyes, and short. Lilah is Caucasian. Her age is 14. She's tough and stands her ground. Lilah is Julienne's older sister (Yes, Lilah, in this story you are older than I….even if that's not that case IRL; D)  
><strong>**California/Maddie Foxx****: Modeled after my older sister, Maddie. (FlyingSaucerScout) She's a little strange, but lovable. Maddie has straight, long, brown hair; is Caucasian, has blue eyes, and is about Julienne's height. She is 16 years old and is Julienne's sister.**

**Lilah and/or Maddie, if you want above descriptions changed, please notify me. Carolina, if you want to be in this story, please tell me and what country/state/etc you'd like to be.**

Julienne's POV

I gazed out across my beachfront property. It's not as great as you'd think it is. The water attracts mosquitoes, sand gets between your toes, and you could step on broken shells or even hermit crabs. You can hardly ever see beneath the water to your feet, and there was a lot of seaweed. The Atlantic gurgled green with algae and plankton, not exactly the true blue most people would associate with the ocean.

I pondered. Somewhere out there, maybe among the stars in the sky, there _must_ be a guy out there that doesn't mind my stalker skills or harpooning aptitude. Someone should be out there who would love me for who I am. Maybe it would be a small country, I wouldn't mind that. Then, he wouldn't mind _my_ small land mass.

He'd also need to be able to tolerate my mood's habit of changing at slight things. I'm not really emotionally stable if my mood can be changed by miniscule changes in anything I've planned out.

I already feel like I'm piling on too much for any guy to live up to, but I want him to be soft, sensitive. I'd want him unlike Lilah. She can be sensitive, but she stands her ground. She's firm, rock-solid as her mountains. Lilah's not exactly single, too… She flirts with many guys, has big boobs, and she believes in polygamy, too. Combined with her spunky, funny, and just amazing in general personality, guys fall for her like mosquitoes being sprayed with deet.

Speaking of mosquitoes, some were really starting to bug me. I cursed my heavy woods and sprayed myself over with bug spray again. Looking at a grouping of mosquitoes, I sprayed some into the cloud- the tiny flies dropped to the ground, killed in an instant. They still bit me, though. I smacked one of the persistent pests on my leg. She fell, dead. I don't know what I'd do if I were Maine. He has almost double the tiny beasts and I could barely handle the ones I had.

When the third tick of the night started crawling its way towards my arm on the chair, I decided it was time to go in. Grabbing the harpoon by my side, I got up and walked to the door. The harpoon was just for security- I'd never hurt another whale, but just holding it made me think of those whaling days when I was younger- I shuddered. I have better targets now; non-living ones are much superior to the magnificent whales that roamed my shoreline in terms of objects of hunting.

That reminds me… Another thing to be added to my list would be my murderous feelings. They happen, and he'd need to either be able to cope with them, ignore them, or help me not have them. Maybe that's something I have to fix on my own… but it's not happening soon.

I shut the door behind me and rushed up my stairs. I changed into some of the least covering pajamas I could find that weren't just underwear- A threadbare white t-shirt, baggy on me, and some gray shorts were the best I could do. Kicking off my covers, I settled into bed. Stupid New England weather… The winter was freeze-your-butt-off cold and the summer could boil an apple's cider while still on the tree!

I wondered who could be out there, waiting for me to come along, just as I was waiting for him. I thought with all my might if I knew someone who met my requirements… I don't think I have yet, but I had a weird feeling I would meet him soon. I shook off the feeling and drifted to sleep.

**I was originally going to write a Latvia's POV counterpart… But I didn't feel like it. So here's my chapter. Also, I was going to join chapter 2 to this, but I think this can be its own chapter. I have chapters 2 and 3 written… and I'll be writing more this summer. And I'll have the time to type them up, too… Hasta la Pasta!~**


	2. Celebration dinner

Julienne's POV

Ugh. Phone is ringing. I reached around blindly for my phone and groggily answered, "Hello?"

"Julienne!" It was California. "Russia and I wanted to celebrate our being one, so you want to come over for lunch?"

"Maddie, it's 4 in the morning here!" I responded after checking my digital clock, the red digits blaring 4:02. "Can we do this later?"

"Oh, really? Our time zones are that far apart?" Maddie inquired. **((Using time zone difference between CT and Moscow)) **"Then let's do dinner, at seven!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I agreed to whatever Maddie said. Anything to let me get back to sleep…

"Righty-O!" Maddie proclaimed, hanging up. I shut my eyes and rested my head back on my pillow…

Shiitake mushrooms- I can't get back to sleep.

I wearily made my way up the last few steps to Russia's house. (Last time I'll ever accept a ride from Feliciano) I raised the knocker, and, before I could drop it, Lithuania appeared. Surprised, I blinked a few times.

"R-Russia's already set…" he stammered. "He-He's been expecting you."

I looked at my wrist to check the time, thinking I was late, before realizing I had left it at home. I really should get a new battery for my mushroom watch… Feeling stupid because of this, I told him, "Sorry if I'm late. I could have sworn I left early enough to walk, and then I let Italy drive me the rest of the way here… I incorporated time zones and everything, too…"

"No worries… You a-are early, but…" he leaned in closer and whispered. "Ivan _knows things._"

Okay, this is a little creepy…

Suddenly, Maddie shoved the Baltic aside and took his place, placing her face in front of mine.

"Jujube! You're here! And I made dinner myself, I hope you like it!" my sister greeted me. Oh, no- Maddie isn't exactly a top chef… "Well, with some help from the Baltics…" Okay, good. I sighed in relief. We weren't going to be eating Poptarts for a main course, then.

Russia was the next person to appear unexpectedly in the doorway. As he came into view, Lithuania seemed to fade into the shadows behind him.

"You are Connecticut, da?" Ivan asked. I nodded, and then he continued, "Come on in! …All will be one with Russia…"

The last part he muttered under his breath, so I wasn't sure I had heard him right. Ivan had just become one with California, so I'm sure I'm wrong.

Anyways, I stepped through the door. My elder sister guided me to the dinner table, laden with food. It was quite clear what Maddie had contributed and what the Baltics made for her. A tray of burned Poptarts was the centerpiece while Baltic dishes surrounded it- kielbasa, keuglis, pierogies, you name it. The spread was large enough to fill Tartarus.

Unfortunately, Maddie does not like Baltic food. Plugging her nose, she proposed a plan.

"We go to Ihop instead, da?"

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There is no way California can eat all of those pancakes. No freaking way.

A stack of pancakes a foot had tall laid in front of Maddie. Knife in one hand, fork in the other, she'd licked her lips at the butter-drenched beauties before her. On top of that, there had been a ton of whipped cream and heavily sugared strawberries sitting temptingly at the top of the giant stack.

I had gazed down at my own stack, consisting of 3 pancakes, a can of whipped cream, and a few kumquat slices. It had been large, but dwarfed by Maddie's glory.

An hour later, the Baltics and I stared at Maddie in wonder. _How could she eat that much and still be so thin?_ I thought. _She barely ever moves when it's not mandatory!_

I hadn't even finished my second pancake. The Baltics took what they were given, a single pancake for the three of them, and I felt guilty and selfish for having more than them. They were three times the people, and I had been given three times more pancakes.

To distract myself, I focused on looking okay. I fiddled with my bangs, trying to get them out of my eyes yet not off to the side where I believe them to be unattractive. Giving up, I let some strands dangle in front of my eyes and started to comb my fingers through my hair- Ow! I forgot to brush it this morning…crap.

I was about to move onto lip gloss when I felt like someone was…watching me. I scanned around the tables a bit and gave up. Everyone at their tables was wrapped up in their own conversations. California looked lovingly at Russia while he returned the favor. (HOLY CRAP! He's not fazed at all by her inability to gain weight?) It then occurred to me the Baltics were there. Estonia and Lithuania were talking, so I switched my attention to Latvia. For a split second, I could have sworn our eyes met before he averted his curious gaze.

That was a little…strange? I'd felt a shock when I realized /_he/_ was looking at me. Not just surprise, but…something else. I'm not sure what. A tingly feeling in my gut had suddenly sprouted and then died when he looked away.

The bill came. It was about time. Just as I was about to help pay, though, it was…taken care of by Maddie's spouse.

"What do you mean by 'bill'?" Russia glared at the waiter. "Let's just say it's free, da? Manager's treat? If that's not the case, then I may get…violent. Kol kol kol kol kol…" Russia started cursing the waiter under his breath until the frightened man quickly apologized.

"S-Sorry! Yes, sir! Please don't kill me!" He panicked and ran away, back towards the kitchen. Poor guy…

I yawned, quite tired. Waking up at 4am could really make you drowsy…

"JUJUBE, ARE YOU TIRED ALREADY?" Maddie yelled. Why did she have to be so loud? "IT'S ONLY NINE! AND, LIKE, TWO IN THE AFTERNOON IN YOUR TIME ZONE!"

"Maddie, everyone's looking now…" I said quietly.

"So?" she responded.

I paused, in thought. It's kind of hard to argue to that. I decided to just answer her first question. "Yes, I am tired. You woke me up at four, remember? I couldn't get back to sleep." I rubbed my eye, careful not to remove the contact.

"Oh! Then you can stay over at our place, da?" my sister asked. "Ivan, is that okay?"

"Yes, my bloodb-I mean, love," Russia said.

"Thank you!" I said. I don't really feel safe with Russia in the house, but I really don't want to walk home. Walking would take effort I don't have. (Or the car I don't have, being a mere fourteen) "I'd love to stay over!"

""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

"Ivan, I don't think we have any guest bedrooms, do we?" she questioned.

"Connecticut can stay in the Baltics' bed, da?" Russia replied. I nodded, not really caring where I slept, as long as I could get a night's rest. "Raivis, Eduard, Toris, make room for her."

All five nodded and headed into their bedroom. I then asked Maddie about contacts and such, not being prepared for a night at someone else's place. I was relieved when she let me use a spare contact case and her Bio-true ©

When I was finally ready for bed, I didn't care about changing. Maddie's pajamas wouldn't fit me- she's a walking stick. I automatically ruled out everyone else at the house, them being guys.

I opened the door to the bedroom to find Latvia pleading Estonia and Lithuania.

"Please give it back!" he begged.

"Raivis, you're fifteen- you no longer need a teddy bear!" Toris told him. "I'm not giving it back."

Eduard then noticed I was in the doorway. He lightly elbowed Lithuania and Latvia. They stopped arguing and moved over in the bed, making a spot next to Raivis for me. Tired, I sauntered over to that end and lay down, almost instantly falling asleep. I hoped I wouldn't snore…

_Someone's arms are around me._

That was my first thought when I woke up. It wasn't a tight grasp; 'twas more like a light hug. It felt nice and warm, cozy… I then fully awakened, thinking I was in my own bed- _whose arms were around me?_ I thought before realizing I was still in the Baltics' bed.

Keeping my eyes closed, I recalled I had been placed next to Latvia- that must be whose arms are around me. I slowly opened my eyes, seeing as there was no danger.

I was facing Raivis. He was still asleep, his lids shutting off his blue eyes from the world. I could see now, since he was at my level (which he hadn't _quite_ been at dinner…) that his face was rather alluring. The evening previous, when my contacts were out, I'd been near him, but too lackadaisical to notice.

I shut my eyes again, savoring the moment. I didn't want it to end. The diminutive light coming through the window had hit his blonde hair just right… His face had looked so calm, too. When I saw him at dinner with everybody, he looked worried; unsettled. But now his expression was simple and content. You know how in movies film producers make sleeping look so attractive and in books it's described as angelic? And then you actually see someone sleeping and it's the most unattractive thing in the world? Well, it was different here. Raivis looked serene; he was at ease. It was simply… beautiful.

I woke again when I felt Latvia's arms slide off my body. I opened my eyes slowly a few seconds later to see him blushing Shannon-red. ((**A/N: Note to anyone who doesn't get this: I have a friend named Shannon, and when she blushes, it's a really deep red.))** Hearing Eduard tsk-tsking, I looked up to see him holding a small piece of…paper? I squinted, trying to see what it was. I'm as blind as a worm without my contacts. I don't care if squinting is bad for my eyes and they already suck enough, I wanted to see!

"Latvia, you need to outgrow you r habit," Estonia was saying. Latvia was trying to grab the piece of paper-or-whatever from his hand.

"Eh? Whatsat?" I asked groggily. I was still half-asleep and brain dead, so my words slurred together slightly. Estonia started to bring the picture closer, but before I could see it, Raivis snatched it. "Latvia? What's it?"

"N-nothing! You don't have to see it!" Latvia protested, holding the paper close to his chest with both hands. Was it embarrassing? "Nothing at all!"

Maddie suddenly burst in the door.

"IVAN needs FOOD! SOMEONE COOK IT FOR HIM!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Her holler struck me awake. Raivis quickly volunteered, leaving the room in a hurry before he could even change out of his pajamas.

"Thank you for the night and letting me stay at your place, California," I said to my sister. "When should I leave?"

"Oh, any time you feel like it," she said. "You sure you slept fine?"

"Like a kumquat, why?" I asked, receiving strange looks from Estonia and Lithuania. "...What?"

"Well, isn't the expression…something else? Like log or baby?" Lithuania asked.

"I don't like being compared to dead things like logs. And babies actually don't sleep well, I hear. Apparently they fuss a lot," I responded.

"WELL, I'M JUST GOING TO ANSWER MY QUESTION…" Maddie began. "No reason… Just making sure you didn't hear any loud noises from Ivan's and my room…" I was slightly disturbed by this, and answered negatively. "Righty-O! Have a good day, then."

I left Russia's house feeling empty- like I should be holding something. What did I forget this time? Not contacts, I could see.

Clueless, I walked on. I hadn't brought any bags, since I wasn't expecting to stay over. I had just thought I'd join them for dinner… Couldn't be a purse, then. What could I be missing?

I meandered down along the road, thinking hard. Finally approaching home, I remembered- it was my cell phone! How could I have misplaced it? It was probably in my pocket when I went to bed and then fallen out.

When I got inside, I dialed my number from my home phone. Eight… six… seven… five… three… oh… niyiyun…

I listened to my callback tone happily as I waited for someone to pick up. German Sparkle Party is so fun to listen to… It has a catchy background beat.

**I was originally going to continue this on, but the first chapter is so long… And I want to update something, so… SUSPENSE.**

**Oh, and you might not actually want to watch German Sparkle Party… Some of my friends got scarred. :3**

**But if you want to, Shannon's response was just "I love German models!" So here's the link: **

**.com/watch?v=f-jN3vH26NQ**

**Shannon's also a tad insane. But I want to host one with Maddie :3**


	3. Harpoons and cookies

Third Person

Latvia was in the middle of his no-teddy-bear training when Caramelldansen started blaring from under the covers. He jumped, and then looked for the source. Taking all the blankets off the bed, he finally found it- an orange and black cell phone. He glanced at the caller ID- 'home.' Raivis figured it was the owner of the cell phone calling.

He shakily picked up the phone and answered with a nervous, "H-hello?"

"Uh, hi," It was Connecticut, the girl who had slept over the night before. She sounded unsure and spoke quickly. "I think I left my phone over at Russia's place and- wait. Who am I talking to? I dialed my phone number correctly, right? Caramelldansen played from an orange phone decorated with kumquats?"

"Uh, one minute…" Raivis checked the phone. Sure enough, when he flipped it over, the back revealed an assortment of citrus fruit stickers. He turned it back over and continued. "Yes, this is the right phone. L-Latvia speaking."

"Okay, great! Should I just come right back over or…?"

"Uh, I can bring it to you, don't worry," Latvia found an excuse to be away from Russia. He also somewhat wanted to see Julienne again. Maybe he could stay and talk to her. "Uh…See you later?"

"Okay! Sure! Bye!" Julienne hung up.

"Eduard? Toris?" Latvia addressed his Baltic roommates. "I'm, err, going to need to leave."

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Julienne's POV  
>I had hung up with Raivis twenty-or-so minutes ago. It was sweet that he'd bring my phone over. Maybe I could somehow strike up conversation with him, I wanted him to stay for a bit- but I'd probably panic, like I did on the phone. I always get nervous when talking to cute guys. I'm not so much for conversation then…<p>

Hearing a knock at the door, I flinched slightly. I really hoped people can't read minds. Whenever people address me after I've been thinking about a guy, I feel like as if he/she was reading my mind and trying to distract me from thinking about him so it would be less awkward for him/her.

I got up from my bed and headed over to the door, trying to fix up my hair a bit on the way. Opening it, I saw Raivis looking down shyly. He looked up when I did so.

"Oh, hi!" he said. "I, uh, brought your phone."

Taking his hands out from behind his back, he held out my baby- I mean, cell. He handed it to me, and I grasped it eagerly.

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you again!" I exclaimed gratefully, bringing it close to my chest. "I can't thank you enough for bringing it over!" I then heard the beep-beep-beep of my oven timer- I had forgotten I'd made cookies for a bit. Trying out a new recipe, I had decided to kill time. Starting to head over to the kitchen, I said, "Excuse me for a minute while I get the oven…"

I then got an idea. I turned back around to Latvia and asked quickly, "Um, would you like to stay and have a cookie? They just finished cooking, and I'm trying out a new recipe- it would be nice to have another opinion on them." My heart was beating a million times a second as I did so, nervous.

"S-sure, I guess," Raivis said. He followed me inside, and I got out oven mitts. The protective gloves were apple patterned with a light yellow background to the fruits. I brought out the trays and put them on the counter.

"They'll have to sit a minute…" I apologized. "I always forget about cooling time!"

"I-it's okay…What are they, anyways?" Latvia inquired. "Th-they smell good…"

I looked around for the recipe and read the top of it when I was victorious. "They're 'mocha-vodka crescents.'"

"V-vodka?" Latvia trembled a bit, scared by something. I didn't know what about the vodka could frighten someone, so I guessed- maybe he was worried about the drinking age here?

"Don't worry, the little alcohol is baked out of them," I said. "And it was only a little bit to start with- you'll be fine with the law here."

"N-no…it's not the alcohol…" Raivis seemed a bit shaky. "I-it's just that… Russia likes Vodka…

"Oh, well…" I tried to think of something. "You'll barely taste it! It's probably not even the same brand-or-whatever he drinks! I just got this vodka from Lilah! …Who knows where she gets hers…"

"O-okay…" Latvia said, looking at the oven-fresh sweets. I really wanted to grab one right now, but they had just come out of the oven- they would fall apart and be too hot. I looked around instead, looking for conversation topics.

"What are those?" Latvia asked, pointing out the window to a bush of tiny white cups. "Th-they're pretty…"

"Mountain laurels, my favorite flower!" I answered, happy he'd thought of something to talk about for me. "I love the summer, when it gets warm enough for them to bloom. Don't you have any at your place?"

"No, n-not really… Ivan prefers sunflowers…" he said, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of his eyes. "There wouldn't be any room for them… And it would be too cold…"

"Oh… That's a shame…" I said. "…would you like to bring a few of them home with you, anyways?"

"Sh-sure…" he said. I grabbed his wrist and led him outside before realizing something- I WAS ALMOST HOLDING HANDS WITH HIM. OMG. I tried to remain calm as I led him out to one of the blooming bushes and picked one heavily laden with blossoms. It was a bit small, though, so I threw it, sorry for the plant. I looked for a decently-sized branch. I wanted it to be not too big, not too small. When I found one that would do, I tried twisting and pulling, but it wouldn't come off.

"Uh, I'm going to go inside and get something to clip with," I told Raivis, heading back into my place. Grabbing a pair of scissors, I left the house again, armed.

I attacked the branch with the scissors and presented the bushel to Latvia. It was then that I noticed that he had retrieved the smaller bundle of flowers.

"That bunch of laurels is so small- why would you want it?" I asked him, handing over the larger set of flowers I had just picked for him. "These are bigger."

"They're still pretty…" he replied. "…Can I have both?"

"Sure," I said. "…Do you want to go inside? The cookies might be cooled."

Raivis agreed, and we went back inside. I returned the scissors to their place and took out a pancake turner. (They're not spatulas! Those are thin, flat things used to level stuff!) I cautiously poked a crescent- It was warm, but not too hot. The cookie was firm enough to pick up and be held in one piece. I scooped it up and placed it in Latvia's hands. He cautiously brought it up to his face and sniffed it before nibbling a bit on the end.

"…Do you like it?" I asked him. He nodded a bit, so I took a small bite of mine. The sweet melted in my mouth. It tasted like coffee and chocolate- yummy. I chewed on it a bit, wondering what I could say to break the silence. I wanted to hear his voice again…

Latvia seemed to be wondering the same thing, (about conversation, not hearing my voice) but I couldn't really be sure. His constant shaking made it hard to see his face, especially with him still holding the mountain laurels. The bushel shrouded his face with its white buds and emerald leaves.

He then spotted my harpoon. His eyes widened as he trembled more, pointing at my sharp tool in its protective Plexiglas case.

"W-what's that?" He looked really worried over just a weapon… I answered him and tried to calm him down a bit.

"It's just a harpoon, I never use it! Well, on living targets, that is- But I never hunt anything with it! And I only use it like a bo-staff when I'm in combat! Which isn't often! Not at all! Nothing more than a thwack with the blunt part! I wouldn't ever kill anyone with it! And I certainly don't hunt whales with it…anymore… They're too darling!"

"Y-you're sure?" Raivis calmed down a tad, but he was still shaky.

"It's only for display now. I'd never stab anybody with it," I said. Well, except mentally. But that doesn't count.

"O-okay…" Latvia seemed reassured a bit more at that. Thank goodness that was over quick-my heart's pace had multiplied every second after he saw my artillery and was now starting to slow.

"Nothing to worry about…" I murmured. I felt like I should go on, apologizing. "Sorry I frightened you, Raivis."

"I-it's okay… Happens all the time…" he said, looking up. Latvia's blue eyes sparkled- he looked so handsome!

After a minute or so, he said, "I-I really think I should get going… I wish I had something to give you in exchange for the laurels…"

_YOUR LOVE!_ I felt like saying. Gosh, what had gotten into me? I'm so weird- I've only known him for what? One day? Not even twenty-four hors, actually.

"No problem. Maybe I should come over again sometime," I said instead, waving good-bye. I didn't want him to leave, but there wasn't much else really to say. "Tell California I say congrats again!"

"See you later, I guess…" Raivis said, heading out the door. "Bye?"

"Bye!" I said, waving. I wanted to call him back inside, but what for? I had no reason to. Shutting the door behind him, I turned around.

When I glanced down, I saw the little slip of paper- Raivis must have dropped it. I bent down and picked it up- It was a picture.

OH. MY. LANTERN. The photo not only showed Raivis hugging me in his sleep, but I was also hugging him.


	4. Thank You

**Since I'm a lazybones, I was meaning to type this up last week and never got around to it. But now I am. Because tomorrow I'm going to CA for a week and so I probably won't be typing stuff up in my spare time.**

Julienne's POV

"Jujube! Like, OHMIGAWD!" California was trying to be annoying, I could tell. And it was working… "OHEMGEE, PLEASE! ONE!"

"What the heck, Maddie? What is it?" I asked exasperated. "Do you need food or something?"

"Nah, I already had some ice cream cake," she said. "Can I come over your place? Ivan and I have already ridden EVERY roller coaster at his place AND mine! We need somewhere else to go! Can we crash something at your house?"

"Well, I have one amusement park, Lake Compounce…" I said apologetically. "It's not much, especially for a thrill seeker like you… You'll probably get bored five minutes in."

"Great! See you there!" Maddie exclaimed, hanging up. I grabbed my cell phone to text her. 'What time & day are you coming?' I typed out, hitting 'ok' when I finished. I'd just hung up with her- I wasn't going to call her right back just to ask one more question!

I stood around for a few minutes, not sure what to do in my wait time. _Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!_ My phone went off, signaling a reply.

The text read: 'I'm coming over now, herpaderp.' When I saw this, I started panicking. I hadn't even changed out of my pajamas yet! I looked down at my threadbare white t-shirt and gray shorts- definitely not acceptable.

I ran to my room and rapidly pulled out all sorts of outfits. Should I wear jeans and a t-shirt? Nah, it's too hot. Could I wear my strapless shirt, then? No, it was too flowy- not any good for roller coasters. Aha! A tank and jean shorts! And I could double-layer- a tight one underneath, and a flowing one on top.

I grabbed a white tank and put it on, over that putting on a loose blue tank with a ruffle down the middle of it. Now, what else did I need?

PANTS! I almost forgot pants!

I changed into light jean Bermuda shorts. Now, sunscreen- I grabbed the spray-on kind and applied it all over, wherever skin showed or would show in my bathing suit. Ah! I need to pack a bathing suit! Not to mention a towel and money. Maybe some extra clothes would come in handy.

I grabbed a bag and shoved everything in. Finally almost ready, I put on a pair of sunglasses and left. Feeling the sun shine on my face, I felt relieved and smiled as I walked the short distance to Lake Compounce.

When I got there, the first thing I did was search for California- she'd probably be at the scariest-looking roller coaster. That would be…Zoomerang. As I approached the attraction, I was proven right. Accompanying her in line was Ivan, who had brought the Baltics along.

I stepped into line beside them with a casual 'hello.'

"CONNECTICUT! You made it!" Maddie exclaimed. "We've been, waiting, like, FOREVER for you!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting so long…" I apologized.

"Actually… We just got here a bit before you did…" Lithuania quietly corrected. "…No longer than ten minutes…"

"Oh, okay…" I said. The line moved up- it was a big jump, too. Since Zoomerang has a lot of seats, a lot of people get moved up at a time. We hurried up to close the empty space.

All three Baltics looked upward at the track towering above them and paled. Raivis shook more, Eduard pushed up his glasses, and Toris- Hey, where'd he go in such a short time?

I spotted him a moment later, inching away from the line. Ivan observed this, and dumped Maddie's bag on him.

"Toris, since you're not going, you take the bags," he said. It wasn't much of a request; it sounded more like an order. Lithuania left with the bag to sit at the benches right outside the fence.

Russia then turned to the two remaining countries, Estonia and Latvia. He spoke cheerfully, but his words were dark. "Next person to leave gets beaten senseless, da?" He closed his eyes and smiled at them as the Baltics shakily nodded, staying in their places.

It was about twenty minutes before we got to the shady part of the line. You could tell Ivan was getting impatient. If someone he didn't know asked him a question, such as the time, he had a… fist-jerk reaction.

We finally approached the ride. Space filled up fast.

"How many?" The employee sounded bored. She must have asked that question a hundred times today, at least.

"Five!" California responded, happy to finally be getting on the ride.

"Sorry, but we only have room for three more," the employee said. She yelled to the crowd, "Group of three! Any groups of-"

"Then we are a group of three," Ivan said, grabbing the wrists of the people nearest him, Maddie and Eduard, and leading them through the turnstile. That left Raivis and me at the front of the line.

As the roller coaster pulled back, I heard a passenger near the back yell, "CHANGE! I WANT THAT CHANGE!"

I shifted my weight onto my left hip. To Raivis, I asked, "So, what seat do you want to take?"

I got no response, so I looked over at him. He looked paralyzed, possibly with fear. I noticed that this was the one time I've seen him (somewhat) awake and not trembling. Clapping and waving my hands in front of his face, I tried to snap him out of it.

It wasn't working. I tried shaking him, grasping his shoulders and gently pushing and pulling.

"Raivis, are you okay?" I asked him. His eyes then seemed to focus, so I repeated my question to him.

"Y-yes, just fine," he replied, shaking again. He didn't look alright, though, so I questioned him about if he was sure.

"P-perfectly okay," Latvia stammered. "Let's just get this over with…"

"Alright!" I said. "So, which seat do you want to be in? The front, I think, is the coolest, but the back gets the biggest initial drop. Oh, but then the front gets the bigger drop when it goes backwards- Eh, whever. What's your favorite?"

"Um… Whichever you take will be fine…?"

The coaster then came back into position on the track for boarding. Maddie still had her arms up and her hair looked quite wind-blown. As for Russia… he seemed the least affected. Not even a hair was out of place, as far as I could tell.

Everyone exited to the right, as instructed, as people came in through the left. Raivis and I were first; I led him to the front seat. (There was an audible sigh from some of the people behind us) Dumping my bag at the designated article drop-off, I took my seat next to Raivis. He looked so cute today, shaking in his seat.

Grabbing his arm, I told him, "Latvia, don't worry! There's nothing to be scared of. We have shoulder restraints and seatbelts. Many people have gone on this ride and stayed safe. It's designed to be holding people for _years,_ see?" I pushed against my shoulder restraint as hard as I could with my palms. All it moved was the required breathing room. "Push it as hard as you can and it won't move, except for that tiny bit."

Just then, the employees came around to make sure everyone was secured. As soon as they finished, the roller coaster slowly pulled back. Raivis trembled even more as we reached the uppermost point on one side. The ride paused for suspense before releasing us, shooting all the passengers down the track and into the first loop. It went so fast, you could hardly tell where you were until it slowed to pull us up again. Again, we stopped briefly at the highest altitude and dropped into a flurry of changing directions, this time backwards.

As Zoomerang slowed back into the platform, I looked over at Latvia. He was still shaking, but at least he had stayed conscious throughout the ride.

"It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?" I asked him, lifting up the shoulder restraint and getting out. I grabbed my bag and continued. "You're still alive and conscious!"

"I-I guess so," he stammered. "B-but I really don't want to go on it again."

"Eh, I guess coasters aren't for everyone," I said, disappointed that he wouldn't go on it again- it's a fun roller coaster. But still, I'm happy he tried it out this one time, even if Russia had forced him to. And it was sweet of him to have offered me a choice of seats.

When we exited, Maddie and Ivan were waiting for us. Maddie was licking a giant ice cream cone that Ivan was holding.

"Holy shiitake mushrooms, what is that and where did you get it?" I asked California. I've seen 'large' size here and even THAT was dwarfed by this!

"Oh, Ivan made it for me out of multiple ice cream cones," she replied, motioning to her chocolaty delight. Well, that explained the height.

"…Where did you put all the cones?" I asked my sister. The trash cans nearest us weren't full with all the cones it must have taken. "And how did you get this so fast? The lines are so long!"

"Well, you see, Ivan's a very influential person…" California explained to me. Well, there was nothing I could do about that now. "And we didn't want to put all those cones to waste, so we just fed them to Russia's subordinates."

I looked at Toris and Eduard, sitting on a bench. They both seemed a little green around the gills… Well, they don't have gills, but you get the point- it's just a silly expression. Where did it come from, anyways?

"Now, let's go on…" Maddie closed her eyes and pointed to a random spot on the map. Opening her eyes, she looked at the destination. "Downtime!"

Latvia looked over at the metal monster. It wasn't too far, and anyone would be able to see it anyways at the parking lot, or even further. He paled again. I was about to tell him he didn't have to go on anything he didn't want to as we walked, but Russia butted in.

"We are all going on! If anyone does not…" His face darkened. "…you know the consequences."

The Baltics shivered and glumly followed along. Maybe after this, we could split up into pairs- and then I could get some alone time with Latvia!

All of us passed through the line to Downtime quickly. Some people must have been in line with Ivan earlier; they glanced up at him and started to part like the Reed Sea. **((A/N: Just saying, that is supposed to say Reed. I found out last year someone had recently found a mistranslation in the Bible and it's the Reed Sea that was parted, not the Red.)) **Just as we wereabout to get in line, though, an employee caught Latvia by the sleeve.

"Excuse me, but children under ten years of age are not allowed on the ride," he said in a nasally voice. His face was on fire with pimples. The remark the employee had made repulsed me as much as his revolting face.

"B-but... I'm not…" Raivis stammered. His efforts were futile until he finally got out, "I'm fifteen!"

The employee looked questioningly at Latvia and pulled out the measuring ruler for the ride. Latvia stood up straight next to it and was just above the minimum height. The employee sighed and let Raivis pass.

We filed into the ride, taking what seats were available. Split into two groups, I was in a row with Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and a girl I didn't know. Maddie and Ivan were placed on another sided of the hexagon.

When everyone's shoulder restraints were secured, we started to lift into the air. As we rose, I spotted Latvia take something out of his pocket- wait, he has a pocket? Anyways, I thought loose articles weren't allowed on the ride! I was about to point out that items were to be left on the ground when I noticed the altitude.

"Shiitake mushrooms, we're high!" I exclaimed.

I looked back at Latvia, finding something to look at instead of the ground below. (So far below…) He was holding the piece of laurel I had tossed and given him about a week ago- how had it not wilted?

I opened my mouth to voice my question, but the ride stopped, reaching the top. Latvia quickly protected the flower with his hands before we dropped. I felt the glorious feeling of free-fall for a bit before being jerked back up again, our drops getting shorter and shorter with each time.

After some time, we reached the bottom and dismounted. With caution, I approached Raivis. He still looked pretty shaken. I tapped his shoulder gently, despite his frazzled appearance.

"Are you okay?" I asked him first, just to make sure.

"Y-yes, I'll be fine, I'm just a little… frightened…" he admitted, smoothing down his hair with his left hand. This also happened to be the hand that was clutching the mountain laurels. When he flattened it out to put some hairs in place, they fell. I snatched them up and brought them closer to my face to discover his secret of preservation. I found it when I smelled polyurethane- wood finish. I'd have to try it sometime.

"You, uh, dropped your flowers," I said, handing them back to him. I saw California with her husband approaching. I decided now would be a good time to voice my plan. I proposed it when we were walking out.

"Hey, California, since you and Ivan are thrill seekers plus a couple, maybe you two should split off? And since you two are going off, why don't we just do pairs and meet up at the end of the day? We could have Lithuania and Estonia together and Latvia and I in another group!"

"Yeah, sure whatever," Maddie said. "I'm going on Wildcat, bitches."

Maddie pulled Ivan along by the scarf, which made me realize something: He was wearing a SCARF in the middle of SUMMER! I would die if I wore that!

Eduard, Toris, Raivis, and I stood around a bit awkwardly for a few minutes after Maddie left. She'd been commanding the group, and now we had nothing really to do. So much for my 'brilliant' plan…

"So, what else is there to do?" Lithuania was the first to take charge. "Besides rides?"

"Well… we have lake, but the algae make it look kind of green and disgusting…" I said, thinking of what else they could do. "There are some games… free Pepsi around the park…"

"…Any other drinks?" Estonia questioned.

"It's not free, but I'm fairly certain we have beer…" I said, hoping that was what they meant- If not, I would look like an idiot. "But there are children around… Please don't go over point-oh-eight percent…"

Eduard and Toris exchanged glances and nodded. They both headed over to the nearest restaurant pavilion, fishing in their pockets. I assumed this was for money, and was proven right when Lithuania triumphantly raised a piece of green paper in the air, heading in the doors.

"So, uh… What do you want to do, Raivis?" I asked.

"Uh… w-whatever you want to do…" Latvia answered.

"Well, I've already been on every roller coaster," I said, implying I had no preference. I'd actually like to go back on Zoomerang, but I don't think Raivis would appreciate another ride on it so soon.

"Oh…" He looked unsure of what to say next. "…What's the water park like?"

"It's totally fun! The slides, that is," I replied. "The pools are kind of blah, but I like the slides. You want to go there?"

"O-Okay," he agreed. I directed him to Splash Harbor and the changing rooms. I split from him prior to when we got there, heading into the women's room. After waiting some time for a stall, space finally opened up and I changed as fast as I could so I could get back to Raivis, who was probably already waiting.

When I was done, I emerged in a navy blue tankini. I had my state symbol printed on the back.

I met Latvia right outside by the water fountain. His swim trunks were maroon with a thin, horizontal white stripe through the middle, like his flag. He wasn't wearing any rash guard- OMG, HE WAS SHIRTLESS.

Raivis interrupted my thoughts when he asked, "Uh, what w-water slides do you want to go on?"

"Hm…" I thought about it. "Let's start with the easiest one, Mammoth Falls. From there, we go to smaller, steeper ones!"

He nodded, so I grabbed his wrist and pulled him along to the line for the giant, green slide. He shook a bit when we got to a part of the line where it was directly overhead.

After an eternity in line, we made it to the top of the stairs. We were so close; I could see the yawning mouth of the slide.

Raivis and I stepped into the large raft. We were placed opposite each other with nobody else in the raft with us. We were swung into the dark and I could feel Raivis already trembling.

I reached out and felt for his hand, finding it quickly. I grasped it and said, "Latvia, you're fine. Just in a dark tunnel. But that's beside the point- you'll be fine." He stilled a bit to a quiver.

The raft splashed around in the darkness for a few minutes before reaching the light part of the slide. I shielded my eyes with my free hand as the bright day's sunlight flooded my vision. Raivis did the same, ceasing to quiver when we could see again. We splish-splashed, gliding to the end to the last, small drop. I tumbled out; Latvia was a bit more graceful than I was. He stood up, a little wobbly, and stepped out into the water. After we evacuated the pool, the lifeguard grabbed the raft and sent it back up the tube to be reused.

Latvia looked like he was shivering. Not because of cold, because it was quite warm out. I didn't know why he would be shivering, but I figured he was probably done in the water park.

"Do you want to dry off?" I asked him. "It's okay if you do, I understand. I've already been on these slides. You don't have to go on any more."

"Th-thank you," Latvia said, heading over to the chair where I'd dumped our stuff. He dried using a towel patterned like his swim shorts while I used a navy blue one with my emblem in the middle.

We went into the changing rooms once again and I got back into the outfit I had been wearing before.

I came out, bathing suit wrapped in a plastic bag, along with my towel. Latvia was holding his swim shorts and towel in a rolled up bundle.

"Oh… I didn't see any plastic bags to put my things in…" he said apologetically when he saw me. I untied the knot at the neck of my plastic bag and opened it, angling the opening at him.

"There's room in mine," I offered. "You can just put your towel and shorts in here with my suit and towel.

"O-okay…" Raivis dumped his bundle into my bag. I twisted the top and tied it back up, shoving it into my larger bag.

"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked him, walking away from the water park.

"Um… I don't know…" Latvia said, walking beside me. There was silence for a moment while we both paused to think. Something then caught his attention. He pointed to a Test Your Strength and said, "I bet I could win you that bear." A giant plush bear was sitting next to the game, the prize for ringing the bell at the top. The fur looked soft and was the color of a storm cloud.

Latvia approached and paid the employee for a try. He loosened his arms and picked up the mallet. Raising it above his head, he swung it down. The small piece of metal was raised a few inches,

"Uh… I'm just getting warmed up…" Latvia said, paying the employee for another try. He swung the giant hammer down again, not doing much better. It lifted off the ground maybe a decameter above the plate before going back down.

"Third time's the charm?" I asked, hoping to motivate him. I didn't want to see him waste his money like that. "You can do it!"

"Y-yeah…I'll try _one_ more time… I'll get it, I'll get it…" Raivis said, paying for another whack. Just then, California came by, pulling a wagon of all the stuffed animals in the park, plus a Tony the Tiger mascot, tied up. Oh, gosh, what am I going to do with you, Maddie?

Russia was helping her, pushing from the rear. Latvia yelped when he saw him and swung down. The small piece of metal shot up and rang the bell lightly, but it was audible. Raivis looked up at the bell in wonder. The employee gave him the bear.

Latvia then looked at _me._ He handed the bear to me and asked, "D-Do you want it? Give it a name?"

"Y-Yes, I love it! Thank you!" I said, giving him a big hug without thinking. Oh my gosh- I was hugging him. And he hugged me back; it felt really nice. The employee cleared his throat, so I shuffled us away from the game and made room for anyone else who would want to play it. "Thank you."

**OH MY GOSH LONG CHAPTER. This took a while to type up. BUT IT'S FINALLY DONE. And now I have to pack. Hasta la pasta!~**


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